There s plenty of work { on the dark side!

Transcription

1 There s plenty of work { on the dark side! Careers in treating sex offenders Jackson Tay Bosley, Psy.D. Thomas Graves, Ph.D. CST Alena Kearney, LSW, M.Ed.

2 Assumptions Individuals who commit sexual offenses have broken the law and transgressed social norms. Individuals who commit sexual offenses have issues that lead them to engage in such behavior. Mental health clinicians can address these issues to help prevent a recurrence of the transgressive behavior. Individuals who commit sexual offenses are capable of positive change.

3 Assumptions (cont d) Sexual offender treatment is a specialized form of treatment. Some states have special licensing or certification processes. Treating this population is complicated by a variety of social and legal issues. Treating this population is personally taxing but also potentially rewarding.

4 NJ Sexual Laws in a Nutshell Absence of consent due to: Physical helplessness Mental defect Mental incapacitation Coercion Age Individuals may consent at age 16; however 13, 14, and 15-year-olds may consent to sexual behavior with someone up to 4 years older (to the day!) (NJ Code 2C:14-1) Exception: prostitution/sex work

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6 Clinician Qualifications Clinician are licensed in each state according to regulations Each state has unique and, usually, nonreciprocal agreements Psychologists Ph.D., Psy.D., Ed.D. Social Workers MSW, DSW Counselors - MA, M.Ed., Ph.D., Ed.D.

7 What Does it Take? Training Counseling: MFT/systems/CBT Broad knowledge: Forensic Support Psych/Social work Neurobiological Psychiatric Professional: supervision/mentor/collaboration /ongoing training Personal: patient family & friends

8 What Does it Take? Therapist characteristics (Collins & Nee, 2010) Desirable: warmth, selfdisclosure, humor, confidence, ability to instill hope Potentially damaging/impede development of alliance: judgmental, cold, excessively critical, authoritarian the old school

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10 Positive Sex/Negative Sex Historically, the field is sex-negative Psychopathia Sexualis (Krafft-Ebing,1886) Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality (Freud, 1905) Emphasizes pathology of bad behavior Current field arose, in part, out of McMartin -era ( ) sex abuse hysteria

11 Positive Sex/Negative Sex (cont d) Risk management vs. strengths-based approaches (Ward, 2007) Historically, treatment has been guided by the principles of the RNR (risk-needs-responsivity) model: Community protection Efficient delivery View on offenders as bearers of risk Emphasis on rights of non-offenders Avoidance goals vs. approach goals

12 Positive Sex/Negative Sex (cont d) Promising developments Good Lives Model (Ward & Beech, 2006) Emphasizes positive goals, including the development of consensual, age-appropriate sexual relationships Caveat: potential paternalism (Glaser, 2011) Therapist values dictate what is healthy kink, poly, etc. Need for therapists with sexuality backgrounds

13 Rewards of the Profession Protection of potential victims Socially meaningful curiosity Enjoyment of counseling Professional benefits (pay, time off, insurance, etc.) Connection to colleagues Offender change and wellness Offense-specific change (Kadambi & Truscott, 2006)

14 Will They Do it Again?

15 Factor Analysis Sexual deviance Sexual preference for pre-pubertal sexual partners (pedophilia) Sexual preference for cues of pain/fear Strength of sexual urges (hypersexuality) Antisociality Enjoyment of illegal activity Impulsiveness Criminal value system

16 Factors Associated with Recidivism (Hanson & Morton-Bourgon, 2004) Specific interest in boys Measured by PPG r =.30 Deviant sexual preference Dx of any paraphilia.40 Sexual preoccupations.51 Emotional identification with children.63

17 General Criminal Recidivism Rates From the United States Department of Justice (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2002); 3 year follow-up, n=9,691 Larceny 75% Burglary 74% Auto theft 70% DUI 51% Sex offenses 5.3%

18 Sex Offense Recidivism Rates (Harris & Hanson, 2004) Type 5yr 10yr 15yr All Rapists Incest Female target CM Male target CM w/out prior offense w/ prior offense Offender over 50yrs k=95 n=31,000

19 Does Treatment Help? (Marshall, 2007 ATSA) 4 year follow-up Sexual General Treatment 9.9% 32.3% No Treatment 17.3% 51.3% k= 16 n=3461

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21 Where are the Jobs? State/county agencies/hospitals/centers /prisons Therapist/counselor Direct care staff Assessor/evaluator Educator Managerial/ supervisory Case manager/ supports coordinator Private counseling agencies Intake specialist Therapist: group, individual, family-based Therapeutic support staff (TSS) Behavior specialist Assessor/evaluator Supervisory/managerial

22 Where are the Jobs? (cont d) Private practice Therapist/evaluator/assessor Polygrapher/penile plethysmograph/aasi Public speaking/community outreach Training professionals Author Researcher Public policy Expert witness Sex offender assessment board SVP evaluator Board member Provider Trainer

23 Take-Home Messages This is an interesting field. This is a rewarding field. This can be a personally enriching field. This can be a stressful field. This field exposes the dark side of sexuality.

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25 Contact Us Thomas Graves, Ph.D., CST, LPC 315 W. James St., Ste. 103B, Lancaster, PA

26 Contact Us Alena Kearney, LSW, M.Ed. New Jersey Department of Human Services Special Treatment Unit Rutgers University Behavioral Healthcare CSL/PSL Program Widener University Ph.D. Candidate, Human Sexuality Education (610)

27 Contact Us Jackson Tay Bosley, Psy.D. Rutgers University Behavioral Healthcare Specialized Sexual Offender Treatment Services (609) (201)